A major tragedy was narrowly avoided in Denver on Monday when police officer, whose name has not been released, was fortunate enough to escape with his life after being shot by a suspect, who has since passed away at the scene.
It was around 4am when the incident happened outside of a hotel near the downtown area. In accordance with officials, the policeman, who was sitting at the wheel of a patrol car, noticed a man stepping inside and out of the hotel.
The man began shooting at the officer from the passenger side of the vehicle and, soon after, the driver’s sideof the patrol car. According to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, the officer managed to get away from the car and respond to the attack from his own firearm.
The motives for the attack have yet to be established, and it remains unidentified if the shooter was a guest at the hotel or if he had some kind of prior relationship with the policeman.
The police officer was struck three times in the abdomin area before exiting his vehicle and returning fire. All three shots landed in a bullet proof vest the officer was wearing. The officer is currently in the hospital recovering from severe pain but is expected to recover.
The Denver Police Department has mounted an investigation of the incident and is asking anyone with data to come forward. It is important for authorities to get an idea of why the incident happened and how they can do something to avoid it from ever happening again.